Yuvraj Joshi | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/profile/yuvraj-joshi
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To be gay is not 'un-Indian' | Yuvraj Joshihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/09/gay-rights-india
The Indian government claims its homosexuality laws reflect society's views, but attitudes are less rigid than some suggest<p>"The law does not run separately from society. It only reflects the perception of the society." So argued India's government in <a href="http://www.hrw.org/en/node/77014/section/2" title="Human Rights Watch: This alien legacy">making its case</a> against the decriminalisation of homosexuality. It believed that cultural beliefs of the majority must be enshrined in the law.</p><p>But can cultural beliefs alone justify opposition to gay equality? For some (like the Indian government), culture is everything – so legal protection of rights rests at the whim of popular sentiments. For others, law is supreme – thus culture cannot stand in the way of rights that are universal. Or so goes the debate, which performs an either/or of being for or against culture.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/09/gay-rights-india">Continue reading...</a>IndiaLGBT rightsWorld newsHuman rightsLawTue, 09 Nov 2010 09:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/09/gay-rights-indiaPhotograph: Sucheta Das/APA gay rights activist in India. Photograph: Sucheta Das/APPhotograph: Sucheta Das/APA gay rights activist in India. Photograph: Sucheta Das/APYuvraj Joshi2010-11-09T09:00:03ZGay marriage? It's not the final frontier | Yuvraj Joshihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/jul/18/gay-marriage-human-rights-diversity
That same-sex marriage is a right is an emerging consensus; but support for a broader diversity will be more difficult to gain<p>Last month, the European court of human rights ruled that member states are <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/jun/29/europe-rules-same-sex-marriage-austria" title="">not obliged to allow gay marriage</a>, despite "an emerging consensus towards legal recognition of same-sex couples". Shortly afterwards, a federal judge in Massachusetts <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-09/defense-of-marriage-act-ruled-unconstitutional-by-u-s-judge.html" title="">ruled unconstitutional</a> the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids the federal government to recognise gay marriages. And then, last week, Argentina became the first Latin American country to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/15/argentina-gay-lesbian-marriage-legalisation" title="">legalise gay marriage</a>, granting same-sex couples all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexuals.</p><p>It is difficult to see how a legal system that claims to take equality before the law seriously can deny marriage equality. Supporters of same-sex marriage regard inclusion into such an important social and legal institution as vital to the citizenship of gay men and lesbians.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/jul/18/gay-marriage-human-rights-diversity">Continue reading...</a>LGBT rightsArgentinaLawHuman rightsWorld newsMarriageLife and styleSun, 18 Jul 2010 14:00:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/jul/18/gay-marriage-human-rights-diversityYuvraj Joshi2010-07-18T14:00:22ZCan Red lattes beat Aids in Africa? | Yuvraj Joshihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/dec/01/project-red-starbucks-campaign
Starbucks has teamed up with the Product Red campaign to fight disease. But 'cause branding' is a flawed model<p>It's Christmas at Starbucks and everything from the cups to the barista aprons is red. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_Red" title="Wikipedia: Product Red">Product Red</a>, to be exact.</p><p>The coffee chain has joined <a href="http://www.joinred.com/Splash.aspx" title="Join Red">the Red campaign</a>, which collaborates with global brands to produce Red-branded products and donates a percentage of sales on each product to <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org/" title="Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria">Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria</a>. During the holiday promotion, Starbucks will contribute 5p to the Global Fund for every payment made with the special Red loyalty card. But there's no day like today to purchase a holiday beverage. The company promises that "For every cup of coffee you buy on 1 December, <a href="http://www.worldaidsday.org/" title="World Aids Day">World Aids Day</a>, we will contribute 5p to the Global Fund". So while you enjoy your caffe latte, you might also be saving millions of African lives.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/dec/01/project-red-starbucks-campaign">Continue reading...</a>StarbucksCharitable givingMalariaLife and styleMoneyUK newsMarketing & PRAdvertisingMediaCharitiesTue, 01 Dec 2009 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/dec/01/project-red-starbucks-campaignYuvraj Joshi2009-12-01T08:00:00ZWhat's wrong with human rights? | Yuvraj Joshihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/oct/09/human-rights
Conflating human rights with social justice forces the public to seek legal rather than social or religious remedies<p>This week's <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/joint_committee_on_human_rights/britishbillofrights.cfm" title="UK Parliament: British Bill of Rights">debate</a> about a British bill of rights to replace the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jan/14/human-rights-act" title="liberty central: Human Rights Act 1998">Human Rights Act</a> has focussed on their relative merits. But there is one matter on which there seems to be a silent consensus: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/oct/07/bill-of-rights-labour-conservatives" title="The Guardian: Wrong-headed calls for a 'bill of rights'">that strengthening human rights protection is desirable</a>.</p><p>During the past decade, human rights has become a salient part of our <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/humanrightsandwrongs/political-parties" title="The Guardian: Political Parties on the Human Rights Act">governance</a>, at home and internationally. The language of rights has acquired tremendous symbolic value. But our world still remains profoundly unjust. So is something wrong with the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/humanrightsandwrongs" title="The Guardian: Human Rights &amp; Wrongs">notion of human rights</a>?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/oct/09/human-rights">Continue reading...</a>Human rightsFri, 09 Oct 2009 09:36:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/oct/09/human-rightsYuvraj Joshi2009-10-09T09:36:23ZAn Indian model of queerness | Yuvraj Joshihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/29/india-queer-gay-community
In the creation of a queer community, India can learn from the 'west' while retaining distinct local characteristics<p>Same-sex relations in Indian society are commonly framed in terms of "western" imports of sexual liberation. This perception needs to questioned, both within India's debate about <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/21/india-gay-rights-law" title="Guardian: A new law for India's sexual minorities">legalising homosexuality</a> and beyond it.</p><p>Of course, homosexuality is not western; there is ample evidence of homoerotic activity in pre-colonial Indian traditions. But is it appropriate to try and understand same-sex relations in India through a western model of queerness? On the other hand, can we dispense with a western perspective when we talk about them?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/29/india-queer-gay-community">Continue reading...</a>World newsIndiaLGBT rightsWed, 29 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/29/india-queer-gay-communityYuvraj Joshi2009-07-29T10:00:00ZA new law for India's sexual minorities| Yuvraj Joshihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/21/india-gay-rights-law
India's colonial-era laws on sexuality must be repealed if its sexual minorities are ever to gain real equality<p>Earlier this month, the Delhi high court reinterpreted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377_of_the_Indian_Penal_Code" title="Wikipedia: Section 377">section 377 of the Indian penal code</a> – India's anti-sodomy law. <a href="http://lobis.nic.in/dhc/APS/judgement/02-07-2009/APS02072009CW74552001.pdf" title="Text of judgment">The court decided</a> that a law that criminalises private consensual sexual acts between adults violates rights enshrined in the Indian constitution. This historic ruling was a significant step towards providing legal protection to India's sexual minorities.</p><p>The legal battle continues, however. Suresh Kaushal, an astrologer who <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8142237.stm" title="BBC: Challenge to India gay sex ruling">has appealed</a> against the decision, is concerned that "if such abnormality is permitted, then tomorrow people might seek permission for having sex with animals". Contrary to a <a href="http://www.unaids.org/en/knowledgecentre/resources/presscentre/pressreleases/2009/20090702_pr_section377.asp" title="UNAids press release">UNAids statement</a> that welcomes the decision, Kaushal believes that decriminalising homosexuality would increase the spread of HIV since "HIV virus is a result of unnatural sex".</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/21/india-gay-rights-law">Continue reading...</a>IndiaLGBT rightsWomenGenderChildrenInequalitySocietyLawWorld newsSexualityTue, 21 Jul 2009 11:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jul/21/india-gay-rights-lawYuvraj Joshi2009-07-21T11:30:01Z